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Lockheed Martin Corp News

28 Sep 2023

VIDEO: Taiwan Reveals First Domestically Made Submarine in Defense Milestone

Credit: Taiwan President Website

Taiwan unveiled its first domestically developed submarine on Thursday, a major step in a project aimed at strengthening the island's defense and deterrence against the Chinese navy, though it won't enter service for another two years.Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has made the indigenous submarine program a key part of an ambitious project to modernize its armed forces as Beijing stages almost daily military exercises to assert its sovereignty.President Tsai Ing-wen…

25 Sep 2023

Taiwan Expects to Deploy Two New Submarines by 2027

© Norman Chan / Adobe Stock

Taiwan hopes to deploy at least two new, domestically developed submarines by 2027, and possibly equip later models with missiles, to strengthen deterrence against the Chinese navy and protect key supply lines, the head of the program said.Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has made the indigenous sub program a key part of an ambitious project to modernise its armed forces as Beijing stages almost daily military exercises to assert its sovereignty.President Tsai Ing-wen…

19 Feb 2023

Lockheed Martin Scores $2 Billion US Navy Contract

(Image: Lockheed Martin)

The U.S.

21 May 2021

Japan's New Missile-defense Ships Come With Hefty Price Tag

Photo: Hunini - CC BY-SA 4.0

Japan's new Aegis missile-defense ships are expected to cost at least 900 billion yen ($8.27 billion), more than double the cost of two planned ground-based sites that the country canceled last year, the Asahi newspaper reported.Government ministers, who have yet to provide a cost estimate for the Aegis ships, may face questions in parliament about the expense, the newspaper said, without saying where it obtained the information.A source with knowledge of the ship proposal told Reuters in October that Japan may have to spend twice as much and wait up to three years longer to deploy new Aegis s

26 Oct 2018

U.S. Successfully Tests Anti-ballistic Missile Off Coast of Hawaii

The Pentagon on Friday said it had successfully tested its anti-ballistic missile system off the west coast of Hawaii, increasing the capacity to knock down missiles targeting the United States and its allies from rogue states like North Korea and Iran.The intercepting missile, which is being developed by the United States and Japan, was launched from the USS John Finn on Friday after radar on the destroyer detected and tracked the medium-range ballistic target missile.In August the Pentagon was given the mandate to pursue more options for defeating U.S.-bound North Korean missiles by using radar and more missiles to spot and shoot down…

19 Oct 2018

Canada Gives Lockheed Martin First Chance to Bid on Warships Design

(Image: Public Services and Procurement Canada)

The Canadian government on Friday said Lockheed Martin Corp would be given first chance to bid on a contract to design 15 warships that will end up costing Canada around C$60 billion ($46 billion).The ministries of procurement and defense said Ottawa and Irving Shipbuilding, a Canadian firm which will actually build the vessels, had identified Lockheed Martin Canada as the "preferred bidder to provide the design and design team."The ministries said in a joint statement that Lockheed Martin would have to go through a due diligence process before a contract was awarded later this year.

17 Jul 2018

Lockheed Wins $451 Combat Ship Contract

Lockheed Martin Corp is being awarded a $451 million contract modification to a previously awarded contract for material and detail design in support of the construction of four Multi Mission Surface Combatant ships, the Pentagon said on Monday.The contract involves foreign military sales to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said.(Reporting by Eric Walsh; editing by David Alexander)

05 Mar 2018

Lockheed Martin Wins $481 Mln US Defense Contract

Lockheed Martin Corp is being awarded a $481 million U.S. defense contract in support of the construction of four Multi-Mission Surface Combatant ships, the Pentagon said on Monday. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Tim Ahmann)

11 Oct 2016

German Multi-Mission Warship Project Delayed

A tender worth around 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) for four warships for the German navy has been delayed by around six months to ensure quality standards are met, according to a copy of a defence ministry letter seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The new MKS 180 multi-role combat ships are expected to be delivered from 2023. They are intended to be capable of attacking targets on land and underwater and providing aerial protection to other vessels. In the letter to the German parliament's budget committee, Deputy Defence Minister Markus Gruebel said it would take longer to conclude the agreement with bidders than it took with previous procurement projects due to higher quality standards.

29 Sep 2016

Australia Names Lockheed Martin as Weapons System Provider for Submarines

Photo courtesy of DCNS

Australia has selected U.S. defence company Lockheed Martin Corp as its preferred bidder to supply the combat system for its new $38 billion fleet of submarines, the country's defence industry minister said on Friday. Lockheed Martin beat out competition from U.S. rival Raytheon Co, which built the system for Australia's existing Collins-class submarines. Australia chose French naval contractor DCNS Group in April to build 12 new submarines in a deal worth A$50 billion ($38 billion) - one of the world's most lucrative defence contacts.

10 May 2016

US Navy Asks Lockheed to Fix Littoral Combat Ships Issues

U.S. Navy photo by Timothy Schumaker

The U.S. Navy has sent Lockheed Martin Corp three requests to correct problems, including propulsion-related issues, with the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program dating back to May of last year, a Navy spokesman said on Tuesday. The ships were originally designed as a small, fast and affordable addition to the fleet, but production has been marked by cost increases and delays. Navy officials, however, say the costs have fallen sharply and the ships are performing well. Lockheed…

29 Apr 2016

How France Sank Japan's Sub Dream

Ousting of Japan ally PM Abbott opened door to rivals; Tokyo slow to respond to new competitive process. In 2014, a blossoming friendship between Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe looked to have all but sewn up a $40 billion submarine deal. Then French naval contractor DCNS hatched a bold and seemingly hopeless plan to gatecrash the party. Almost 18 months later, France this week secured a remarkable come-from-behind victory on one of the world's most lucrative defense deals. The result: Tokyo's dream of fast-tracking a revival of its arms export industry is left in disarray. Interviews with more than a dozen Japanese…

26 Apr 2016

France sinks Japanese, German Sub Bids

Fleet of 12 submarines to be built in South Australia; decision has political implications at home, abroad. France has beaten Japan and Germany to win a A$50 billion ($40 billion) deal to build a fleet of 12 submarines for Australia, one of the world's most lucrative defence contracts, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on Tuesday. The victory for state-owned naval contractor DCNS Group underscored France's strengths in developing a compelling military-industrial bid, and is a blow for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to develop defence export capabilities as part of a more muscular security agenda. Reuters earlier reported that DCNS would be announced as the winner, citing sources with knowledge of the process.

19 Apr 2016

Submarine Bidders Step up Lobbying for Australia Tender

Japan's advanced attack Soryu submarine carried out drills with Australia's navy on Tuesday as a German company launched a campaign to advertise its expertise - as a race for a A$50 billion contract to build Australia's next submarine fleet neared a climax. Industry sources told Reuters the Australian government is speeding up its decision on the contract - France is the other major bidder - with a winner now expected to be announced by the end of the month. Australia intends to buy 12 new submarines, a centrepiece of its defence strategy unveiled in February, which called for an increase in military spending of nearly A$30 billion over the next 10 years to protect strategic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific.

13 Apr 2016

Damaged US Warship Heads to San Diego for Repairs

USS Fort Worth (U.S. Navy photo by Joe Bishop)

The USS Fort Worth, a U.S. warship that suffered damage to its combining gears in Singapore in January, will travel to San Diego under its own power for extensive repairs at a General Dynamics Corp shipyard, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday. The new coastal warship, built by Lockheed Martin Corp , will use its gas turbine engines to travel to its homeport of San Diego this summer from Singapore, where it has been deployed since December 2014, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said in a statement. The trip is expected to take about six weeks.

01 Apr 2016

Lockheed, Austal Win U.S. Navy LCS Awards

Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal have each won contracts worth up to $564 million to build one Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Defense Department said on Thursday in its daily digest of arms deals. Lockheed's contract covers construction of LCS 25, another of its Freedom-variant littoral combat ships, integration and testing of selected ship systems, and equipment, according to the statement. The work is to be completed by July 2020. Austal's contract covers construction of LCS 26, another of its Independence-variant LCS ships, integration, testing and equipment, with work to be completed by July 2020.

04 Mar 2016

Pentagon Chief: 40 LCS 'enough' for U.S. Navy

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday defended the Pentagon's decision to buy just 40 Littoral Combat Ships instead of the 52 originally planned, saying the money saved would allow the Navy to buy more missiles and undersea technology. Carter told reporters during a visit to Seattle that the U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and other backers of the program have said the Navy's requirement for the smaller, fast coastal LCS warships remains unchanged at 52, despite Carter's decision to truncate the program. Mabus told lawmakers on Wednesday that the final decision about how many small surface warships to buy would ultimately be made by the next administration.

09 Feb 2016

Pentagon: Cut in LCS Ship Program 'Not an Indictment'

U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said the Pentagon's plan to truncate the Littoral Combat Ship program at 40 ships instead of 52 reflected budget pressures and was "not an indictment" of the program. Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal each build different models of the smaller, fast coastal warships. Carter said he wants the Navy to have a competition and pick just one supplier for future ships. Work said the Pentagon decided to buy two of the ships in fiscal 2017, instead of scaling orders back to just one ship as Defense Secretary Ash Carter had ordered in a memo late last year, at the Navy's request. He said the move was meant to help ensure a smooth transition to a future competition by keeping both shipbuilders working for another year.

18 Dec 2015

Pentagon to U.S. Navy: Buy fewer LCS Ships, More Planes

Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the U.S. Navy in a sharply worded memo this week to buy 12 fewer small littoral combat ships (LCS) and more fighter jets, electronic warfare equipment and other weapons in the upcoming budget year instead. If approved by Congress, the changes would have a huge impact on many big weapons makers, including Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal Ltd, which would have to compete to build eight remaining LCS ships in fiscal 2019. The Navy had been buying ships in recent years "at the expense of critically-needed investments in areas where our adversaries are not standing still, such as strike, ship survivability, electronic warfare and other capabilities," Carter said. A copy of the memo, first reported by Defense News, was seen by Reuters.

03 Feb 2016

Pentagon Chief Unveils Plans to Buy More High-end Ships

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (Photo: U.S. Department of Defense)

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday mapped out plans for the U.S. Navy to buy more high-end submarines, destroyers, fighter jets and unmanned underwater vehicles using $8 billion in savings generated by scaling back orders for smaller Littoral Combat Ships. Carter said the Pentagon's five-year budget plan also included $2.9 billion to modify Raytheon Co's SM-6 missiles for use as powerful anti-ship weapons, and buy 625 more of the weapons, which are now used for missile defense.

26 Aug 2015

Japan Woos Australia in bid for Sub Deal

Japanese delegation tries to make case for submarine contract. Japan's effort to charm Australian politicians and the public over its bid for a A$50 billion ($35.60 billion) submarine project appeared to stumble on Wednesday, with officials from Tokyo resisting pressure to commit to building the vessels in Australia. Japanese defence officials and executives from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries made their first major pitch to build 12 stealth submarines for Australia's navy during public briefings in Adelaide, a ship-building hub. Once seen as the frontrunner to win the contract, the Japanese bid has since come under scrutiny over whether Tokyo would build any of the submarines in Australia, where manufacturing jobs are a hot-button political issue.

08 Sep 2015

Lean Manufacturing Transforms Maker of US Navy Warships

Photo: Fincantieri Marinette Marine

Big investments, lean manufacturing techniques borrowed from the automotive industry, and a more engaged workforce have revamped the Wisconsin shipyard where Italy's Fincantieri SpA builds the Freedom variant of the U.S. Navy's coastal warships for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. Fincantieri invested $100 million in recent years to transform the 1940s era shipyard into a state-of-the-art facility, where seven LCS ships are now under construction, including three that have already been launched into the river.

24 Sep 2015

United Technologies: Joint Maritime Approach

Bart Otten

Maritime Reporter talks with Bart Otten, President, United Technologies Corporation Fire & Security EMEA, at this year’s biggest maritime trade show, the Nor-Shipping Exhibition, regarding the company’s Joint Maritime Approach. Bart Otten heads the Fire and Security Business Unit of UTC in Europe, Middle-East and Africa both for the land and marine business sides. He is also in charge of United Technologies’ entire Marine business initiative. Based in the Europe head office in Brussels, Otten, a Dutch citizen himself, has worked within the UTC Group since 2007.